The Attached Collection
by Lilia Gibson
Summary: Summary: This is another of my collections of alternatives to the ending of an episode. More to come soon! The rating will be K for now...
1. Alternate 1

Summary: This is another of my collections of alternatives to the ending of an episode. More to come soon! The rating will be K for now...

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just playing.

"No, I don't. The implants have been removed, remember?" Beverly said, smiling at Jean-Luc. He stood and moved to sit next to her then froze.

"Bravo!" Q clapped and laughed as he stood against the doorway of Picard's bedroom. "Bravo Red!" Beverly's head snapped in Q's direction.

"What the hell?" Beverly exclaimed still holding Jean-Luc's hand as he sat frozen, staring at her. "Q! What do you want?" she almost yelled as she looked back at Jean-Luc and pulled her hand from his.

"Oh Red, I'm nearly hurt." Q placed his hand over where his heart would be if he were human.

"What do you want?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, just to applaud you." He smiled.

"What?"

"To applaud you. I haven't given you enough credit. Well, no credit really, until now." He said beaming at her.

"Credit for what?"

"Please, don't tell me you don't know." He rolled his eyes.

"No, I don't." She said with a hint of defensiveness.

"He may fall for that –" Q said and gestured to the still motionless Picard. "But I know better." He said then casually walked over and sat in the chair Picard had recently vacated. "You have a power over our Jean-Luc I could never have. It really is amazing, if not pathetic," he added, "…the power you women have over men in most humanoid species. Had I known _you_ had this kind of power over Jean-Luc, I would have paid more attention to you and used your talents long ago."

"Q, I don't know what…" She began to protest but was interrupted.

"You know very well and some part of you enjoys what you do to him. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been quite so irritated I showed up tonight."

"Q, we're always irritated when you show up!" She spat.

Q sighed heavily, "Fine! Let's see _you_ in action from Jean-Luc's perspective…" He snapped his fingers and he and Beverly were standing behind the chair Jean-Luc was sitting in again.

"You know," she said with a playful grin, "…last night I couldn't sleep."

"Oh?"

"I was awake for several hours…" she sat forward, "…and, thanks to the implants, I got to hear some very interesting dreams of yours."

He smiled then said, "A man can't be held responsible for what his mind does while he's asleep."

"What about when he's awake?"

His expression turned to conservative hopefulness. He put his glass on the table then slid forward on his chair toward her and held out his hand. She took it. "So now that we've had this unique experience, what do we do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"No, I don't. The implants have been removed, remember?" she said, smiling at him then froze. She stared at herself sitting on the sofa smiling at Jean-Luc as he held her hand. Q crossed his arms over his chest.

"Do you see that duplicitous expression on your face? 'I got to hear some very interesting dreams of yours…what about when he's awake?'" Q said in mock disgust. "You knew exactly what he was getting at."

"It was just harmless flirting." She said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice as she stared at herself sitting on the sofa.

"Harmless flirting? Ha! You knew exactly what he was getting at. You teased him mercilessly! I really am impressed and that's saying a lot for you."

"We've known each other for years…" she trailed off as her gaze drifted to Jean-Luc. Q snapped his fingers again and looked at the scene in front of them.

Her carefully constructed smile fell as he stood and moved to sit next to her.

"Now that we know how each of us feels, perhaps we should not be afraid to explore those feelings." She gave him a small smile then reached up to cup the side of his face and kissed his cheek. He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow as she rested her forehead against his for a second before her hand dropped from his face and she pulled away from him.

"Or perhaps we should be afraid." Fear was evident in her eyes and became suspended as Q snapped his fingers.

"Curious. At one time, you would have seized this opportunity but now, you pushed him away."

"I didn't see that coming." She said quietly to herself.

"No?" Q interrupted. "What did you expect? He's a human male who clearly finds you attractive, though I can't fathom why…"

"I guess I expected him to flirt back then we would call it a night." She said in a low voice as if the imapct of her actions and words were sinking in. Q sighed loudly in exasperation.

"You're just as dense as he is. I give up. You two continue to drone on in your mundane lives being artificially content with your relationship the way it is. I'm writing you off again, Red." He snapped his fingers a final time and Beverly found herself back on the sofa with Jean-Luc sitting next to her holding her hand.

"Now that we know how each of us feels, perhaps we should not be afraid to explore those feelings." She felt frozen inside. She needed more time to think but there was none. She gave him a small smile then reached up to cup the side of his face and looked at his handsome features a moment.

"Or perhaps we should be afraid." She looked into his eyes then her gaze fell to his lips as she leaned in and kissed him tentatively. She pulled back to look at a clearly confused Jean-Luc and smiled. She leaned in to kiss him again but stopped and said, "I think I should be going before I conquer my fears, right here on this sofa..." She brushed her thumb across his lips then rose and set her wine glass on the dining table. He rose and walked to the door. She followed and stopped in front of him. "Good night." She smiled.

"Good night." He returned her smile before she left his quarters.


	2. Alternate 2

Summary: This is another of my collections of alternatives to the ending of an episode. More to come soon! The rating will be K for now...

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just playing.

After Jean-Luc blew out the candles, he continued to stare out the viewport for what seemed like an eternity. This couldn't be all Beverly wanted from him. He felt disappointment from her on the planet when he told her he no longer loved her.

'Or perhaps we should be afraid.' Her words echoed in his mind. He furrowed his brow. He couldn't accept that was it. Her words and actions kept nagging him. He took a deep breath then left his quarters.

The door chime interrupted her thoughts. She had been resting against the bathroom vanity staring at the reflection of her hands on the vanity. She took a breath then returned to the living area.

"Come." She wasn't sure who she expected it to be but she didn't expect him. He walked in and stood in front of her.

"Jean-Luc. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"Yes, I think something is wrong." He paused. "Why did you say we should be afraid?" His tone was quiet and light but his eyes were pleading.

"I said it because I don't want to lose your friendship." She responded carefully.

"And?"

"And what?" she said with a hint of irritation.

"I think there's more to it than that Beverly. What aren't you telling me?"

"I…" she began but paused and looked in his eyes. She could see how hurt he was at being rejected and now being refused the answer to his question after everything they had been through. "On the planet you said you weren't in love with me anymore. Then, this evening you propositioned me." He looked deadpan at her with wide eyes. If his jaw wasn't clenched shut in anticipation of her opening up to him, his jaw would have dropped.

"Y – you think I just want sex from you?" he stumbled. She swallowed hard.

"Well, what was I to think? Your thoughts, not just in your sleep, weren't exactly mission-focused on the planet." She paused. "After dinner, when I said maybe we should be afraid, you didn't protest. You didn't come after me…" She trailed off.

"Beverly, we were on a foreign planet being pursued by hostile forces. When they weren't on our heels and my mind had time to think of something other than escape, I tried to think of other things but…" He said matter of factly then continued earnestly, "…you are the most beautiful woman I've ever known. Sweat and dirt isn't going to change that but lust isn't the only thing I feel for you. We were linked when I told you I didn't love you anymore. We reminised about good times you, Jack, and I had before I told you, my closest friend, I was in love with you while you were married to the man who was my best friend, who died under my command. Calling it a delicate situation couldn't begin to cover it for me. Are you telling me you couldn't tell I was lying?"

"I felt so many things from you at that moment. It was difficult to absorb and separate all of it." She stared at his chest as she thought of that moment then looked in his eyes. Something caught her eyes: he held his hands out between them. She put her hands in his then looked at him again.

"My feelings for you have never been simple. They'll never be simple." He said as he leaned in and kissed her. It was only a matter of seconds but the kiss reinforced his words. "Take your time." He said gently then smiled before leaving her quarters.


	3. Alternate 3

Summary: This is another of my collections of alternatives to the ending of an episode. More to come soon! The rating will be K for now...

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just playing.

Jean-Luc stood next to the door and raised his hand to open it then stopped. Beverly slowly walked over, stood in front of him and smiled.

"Good night." She said continuing to smile. She expected him to open the door and wish her a good night but he didn't.

"Beverly, I…" He began to say then stopped and gently took one of her hands. "May I kiss you good night?" he asked in that smooth baritone. She was taken aback. Twice tonight he surprised her. She smiled again and bowed her head slightly to indicate a tentative 'yes' then looked timidly at him. He reached up and gently cupped the side of her face. He used the softest touch of his thumb to raise her chin to him as he closed the gap between them. He paused a second as he looked into her eyes and brushed his thumb across her lips. "I'll always love you." he said then kissed her lips gingerly and held it before he deepened the kiss. The kiss lasted only seconds before he broke away only an inch and said, "Your move."

He smiled as he dropped his hand from her cheek. His hand brushed the length of her arm as it came to rest by his side and he took a step back. She expected a chaste kiss, like the one she had given him only moments ago. She swallowed and returned his smile. She didn't reject him and she was thankful he understood her. "Good night." he nearly whispered. She bowed her head slightly as she turned and the doors parted to allow her egress.


	4. Alternate 4

Summary: This is another of my collections of alternatives to the ending of an episode. More to come soon! The rating will be K for now...

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just playing.

"I think I should be going." Beverly said with a small smile. Jean-Luc nodded and leaned in. She didn't hesitate and leaned in. Their lips met in a chaste kiss. As they parted, their lips were little more than an inch apart when he kissed her again. It only lasted a few seconds but it was not a platonic kiss shared between friends. When they finally parted, she stared at his lips for a moment then looked in his eyes. He smiled at her then looked down at their joined hands. Her hand was still on his chest.

"I enjoyed this evening." He said quietly. He hoped he understood her and the kiss wasn't the wrong move. She smiled at him then picked up her wine glass and stood. He sighed in relief then stood and walked to the door while she took her glass and set it on the dining table. She followed him to the door and stopped in front of him.

"Good night." She said and smiled at him as she had all evening.

"Good night." He returned her smile. After the door closed behind her, he smiled. He wouldn't sleep much tonight.


	5. Alternate 5

Summary: This is another of my collections of alternatives to the ending of an episode. More to come soon! The rating will be K for now...

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just playing.

After Beverly left Jean-Luc's quarters, he turned and walked back to stand in front of the coffee table. He picked up his wine glass and took a sip as stared at the stars outside. Was that it? Was this all she wanted from him? Or did he miss something?

'Or perhaps we should be afraid.' He could see fear in her eyes when she said those words but she didn't tell him 'no.' She flirted with him tonight. She expressed _hesitation_ at pursuing a more intimate relationship. When he leaned in for a kiss good night, she kissed him – albeit a chaste kiss, but she didn't hesitate. Aside from momentary fear, he saw and felt no discomfort from her, no other indication of rejection. If she truly rejected his offer, he assumed she would have become uncomfortable or given some other indication. She didn't.

There were two ways to find out: ask her directly or slowly pursue her. If she was as hesitant as he suspected, the former may scare her more. The possibilities the latter held was exhilarating to say the least. He leaned down and blew out the candles on the table then took both their glasses to the replicator. He would not sleep much tonight thinking of those possibilities.


End file.
